29 Weeks

      1 Comment on 29 Weeks

You guys, shit is starting to feel very, very real. It’s the last week in the twenties! I’ve only got about 10 weeks left to go. That’s like nothing! It’s going to fly by! Ahhhhhh!

This will be all I talk about now for the rest of the time. Because I still can’t believe she’s almost here!

This week 3BB is the size of a head of cauliflower. 

A head of cauliflower with very jabby arms and legs. 3BB is still very active, not that I’m complaining. I actually don’t mind her kicks and elbow jabs. What I don’t like is when she somehow maneuvers herself where her butt or head or something is right under my ribcage and she causes all this pressure of things pushing up into my throat. (Yes I’m still complaining about her shoving my liver into my throat.) This is really the most uncomfortable part of all this so far. It’s like I can feel her turn and adjust and it feels like she’s shoving her butt in the air toward my face and pushing every internal organ further and further up. 

There was this article on What to Expect that showed images of how your body changes and how all your internal organs move to accommodate a growing uterus. It’s really fascinating how the human body can adjust and still work. 

So I’m seriously not joking about feeling my liver in my ribcage. Also no wonder pregnant women are constipated, look at how your intestines flatten out along your spine! Crazy!

I’m definitely feeling like I’m huge. It seems like an effort to get out of bed, or off the couch. I don’t feel like my bump is an accurate representation of how big I feel.

The carpal tunnel in my right hand is getting worse. I got a brace to wear at night and it does help, but most of the time I have that tingly feeling in my fingertips and it’s mostly more annoying than painful. I should actually start pricking the fingers on my right hand for my glucose tests because I wouldn’t even feel the needle.

I also have to pee all the time. I know this is well known in pregnancy, but I have never really had a small bladder. It’s like you go and the minute you finish washing your hands after you flush, you could pee again. This is usually not a huge deal since I’m home all the time. But it is now a very annoying thing when I’m out running errands, or even worse when I’m out delivering food on the weekends and a lot of restaurants don’t have bathrooms.

Speaking of Grub Hub, I’m hoping to keep doing it as long as I can. The extra income is much needed and I know there is going to be a point when I have to stop. So while I can, I’m still working as a food delivery driver in the evenings on weekends. It is getting more uncomfortable to sit in the car for that many hours at a time, but again, MONEY.

That’s about it for this week. I had another call with my diabeetus nurse and everything is still good. I’ve had some higher numbers, not over the limit, but close to, and she wants to keep an eye on those after dinner numbers so they don’t creep up anymore. I blame it on Thanksgiving stuffing, since I did eat leftovers for a few days and it brought my numbers up. But the stuffing was so good, so it was worth it.

My baby shower is a week from Sunday, so I’m excited for that, even if it is virtual. And just more reason to get my ass in gear and put together all the nursery furniture so we have a place to put all the lovely gifts!

29 weeks down! #3BBOnBoard

28 Weeks

      2 Comments on 28 Weeks

It’s the final trimester! Do do do doooooo, do do do do doooo!

Third trimester baby! Seventh month! There are less than 12 weeks left! Since I won’t get to 40 weeks, I know that I will have a baby in my arms in less than three months! That is crazy to me! It will just keep getting crazier, and scarier the further we go along! Eeeep!

This week 3BB is the size of a head of lettuce. It seems like a lot of the growth here in the last trimester is fattening her up, so most of these veggies are going to be the same size each week. 

I had my 28 week appointment this week with a follow-up ultrasound. This was to check on her kidneys, since the one kidney was a little dilated at the 20-week ultrasound.

I’m happy to report that her kidneys are perfectly fine. They are actually measuring about the same as they were 8 weeks ago, so perfectly in range. 

Everything else looked good and she’s measuring in the 35% percentile, which I am very happy about. Gestational Diabeetus babies tend to be on the larger size, which can cause all sorts of issues during labor, so that she’s measuring a little on the small side is a good sign and that I’m managing my sugar levels well. 

She was SUPER cooperative in the ultrasound this time, showing off for the camera, like she had in every other ultrasound, except at 20 weeks when she had an audience. We had a little chat the night before that this is good for her and she needs to cooperate with the nice people who are just looking out for her.

She rewarded me with a full-on face shot of her looking right at the camera!

Look at those cheeks!

Her legs are still mostly behind her head. It’s like she’s already getting prepared to be squished in there in a few more weeks. She weighs like 2 pounds, 10 ounces right now. Keep bulking up, little one!

I had my mom over for Thanksgiving yesterday, and it was really nice. I altered the menu a bit because I can’t eat a lot of carbs, but I still made homemade stuffing because stuffing is my favorite. And if I had to save my carbs for anything, it was for stuffing. And everything worked out and my after dinner numbers were right on point! Not even elevated! Hooray!

I lost another little bit between 24 weeks and 28 weeks. So my weight gain is still hovering at a little less than 5 pounds, which was the amount of weight I put on in the first trimester when I was so nauseous. It doesn’t look like I’ve gotten much bigger, but I definitely feel like it’s getting more difficult to do things, like bend over. But that might be because she likes to somehow position herself where it feels like she’s shoving some internal organ up through my ribcage into my throat. And pushing on her to move does nothing because SHE LIKES WHAT SHE LIKES. STOP PUSHING ON ME. It at least forces me not to hunch over and sit up straight so that I don’t feel that weird pressure.

My tooth is still bothering me, but it isn’t nearly as awful as it was last week. I’m going to give it another week or so to see if it improves before calling the dentist about a root canal. The doctor said it was more than fine to get it done since the benefits outweigh any risks. So that was good to hear.

Other than that, I hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving and enjoyed lots of good food and pie and time with family and friends! I hope you ate all the pie and drank all the booze that I couldn’t have!

#3BBOnBoard

27 Weeks

      1 Comment on 27 Weeks

It’s the last week of the second trimester! Some say this is the first week of the third trimester, but I’m sticking with week 28 starting the last and final trimester.

It’s really starting to sink in that there will be a BABY here in a few months. I have some moments of slight panic because A TEENY TINY BABY! How am I going to do that? I seriously spent so much time trying to get here that I think my brain is just now accepting that I will actually have a baby and be a parent! Crazy!

This week 3BB is the size of a cabbage. 

They really need more of the white B’s in that letterboard thing I have.

I think the realness setting in is because we planned my virtual shower. I’m still not comfortable with large gatherings of people, so virtual was the way to go. Plus then people from all over the country can come, which wouldn’t be possible if it was in person.

This week I also got my Covid vaccine booster. My OB recommended it and I was more than happy to comply. Any antibodies I can send to little 3BB to help protect her once she’s out in the real world are worth it. I felt mostly OK after the shot. My arm was really sore and I felt fatigued, but overall I felt fine. 

One thing that happened was my teeth started hurting. At first I thought maybe it was because I chipped a crown on my front tooth back in June. But it seemed a little too coincidental and the pain was unlike any normal tooth pain. But then there was some sensitivity or something, where I couldn’t eat or drink without being in pain, so I called the dentist.

They squeezed me in on Friday morning and the verdict is that my gums are super inflamed. Some of it is just from pregnancy, since I have pregnancy gingivitis. But they said the inflammation was worse than when I was just in there last month. The dentist said that the tools were measuring 5-6 millimeters, and the problem is that even flossing can only reach 4 millimeters.

They seem to think that the inflammation may have caused some bacteria to get in there behind the crown. So they gave me some gingivitis toothpaste, told me to rinse with warm salt water and invest in a waterpik, since that can get deeper in those crevices to clear out bacteria. 

I’m not totally unconvinced that the swelling and inflammation isn’t from the vaccine booster. I mean, after every shot, I’ve had swelling in my lymph nodes on the side the shot was given, which is a very common side effect. Who is to say that it can’t cause extra swelling/inflammation in my already inflamed gums?

Fingers crossed that these measures help and I don’t have to have any major dental work done while I’m pregnant. I know that is is relatively safe, and if I’m in excruciating pain I will do it, but if I can avoid it, I will.

I’m also super thankful that I switched to this new dentist before this happened. They were all so nice and the main dentist is very adamant about not doing anything unnecessary to me while pregnant and I really appreciate it. He even gave me his cell number just in case something happens over the holiday and I need help. So while it sucks to have this pain and irritation, I’m so glad that going to the dentist didn’t cause any additional pain and irritation, like I’m convinced my last dentist would have done.

I also had a follow-up appointment with my diabeetus nurse this week. I love that she lets these appointments be phone calls because it literally took all of five minutes. Saves me a fortune in gas and parking not having to go down there every few weeks for five whole minutes. 

My numbers are all looking good. I had to increase my insulin a little and since then, my fasting numbers have been amazing. She told me to continue to keep an eye out on any high meal numbers that are getting harder to control. She also asked about my next ultrasound. She thought that if 3BB is measuring too big at the next one, we might want to proactively give a mealtime insulin dose so she doesn’t get too big. I’m more than happy to do whatever it takes to keep 3BB in there as long as possible and NOT have a 10 pound baby.

I actually have another ultrasound on Monday! I’m very excited to see my stubborn girl! This is a follow-up one because at the 20-week ultrasound her one kidney was slightly enlarged. So this will check to see if it is still enlarged or if it all worked itself out. Keep your fingers crossed it all looks good and she’s doing good in there!

I don’t look much bigger from last week’s photo, but I feel like I’ve popped more. She’s still very active, which I very much appreciate. I don’t have to worry about kick counts or anything because she is plenty active. She must know that mommy worries a lot about her already. Either that or she’s just going to be a gymnast once she gets out! Or a club dancer!

Sorry for the late update this week, but tooth pain is really the worst. I know I haven’t been in labor yet, but at this point I’d take back pain over tooth pain any day. 

Stay tuned for some hopefully very adorable ultrasound photos next week! Hopefully she cooperates this time, but I already know my girl will do what she wants!

#3BBOnBoard

25 & 26 Weeks

      1 Comment on 25 & 26 Weeks

I got lazy last week and didn’t do an update. I honestly don’t really remember what my deal was. I took the photos and was set to type it up and then it was Saturday and I was like “shrug, I’ll just combine the weeks next week.” 

And then I planned on writing the post earlier in the week and now here it is Friday, and I’m just now writing it. *shrugs*

I think it is because this is kind of the boring, sweet spot of pregnancy. Not much is going on, besides a lot of baby growth, but I feel good. I’m not too huge so I can still do things and I’m 10 weeks into the diabeetus diet so that isn’t even something worth talking about. Now it’s just about nesting and getting prepared for a baby in less than 14 weeks. Which…

But overall everything is going rather well. Last week 3BB was the size of a rutabaga. 

I did not know what a rutabaga looked like (and I also want to keep spelling it rutabega, like it’s some long lost relative of the Mambo No. 5 singer, Lou Bega), so of course I had to take a photo at the grocery store.

And oddly enough, Lou’s cousin Ruta Bega was right next to the acorn squash, which is how big 3BB is this week!

via GIPHY

 Wow, I really took that Lou Bega joke a little too far. 

TRUMPET!

See, this is the quality stuff you miss when I’m not posting every week.

Anyway, my bump is still continuing to grow. 3BB is very active and lately she likes to wedge herself right under my ribcage and push all those organs up into what feels like my throat. I try to push her down, but she does not comply.

It doesn’t look like much, but it’s starting to get a little more uncomfortable to bend over and do other things. I definitely feel bigger than I look. 

One of my dreams with being pregnant was always to be able to rest things on my bump. Eat my dinner off the bump with no hands. My dream is so much closer to reality, since I was able to balance my cup on there the other day. Look mom, no hands!

Although I’m not actually sure I wasn’t able to do that before when I was just overweight.

The heartburn has really been kicking in lately. I blame it all on organs being shoved into my throat to give my little girl some space, because it definitely doesn’t have anything to do with what I eat or drink. 

I suffered for years with bad heartburn back about 10-12 years ago. I finally figured out my acid reflux is triggered by refined carbs. If I eat a lot of bread, pasta, pizza, etc., that’s when it is the worst. So since I’m not eating any of those things right now, I can only blame it on 3BB.

The worst part is that you are not supposed to just eat all the Tums to help it, since that can give you kidney stones. So mostly I just complain to the cats, and sometimes my friends over text messages. 

Other than that, I’m in full-blown nesting stage. Last weekend I cleaned out the closet in the baby’s room, vaccumed and steam cleaned the carpet really well. I ordered a sample of the wallpaper I want for the room so I can look at paint samples. Plus I finally got rid of the futon in there. Today I did a big drop off at Goodwill will all the stuff I needed to donate. Now all I have to do is start putting together the furniture for the room and we’ll be getting close!

The diabeetus is going fine. My fasting number has been good, so I’m still on 34 units of insulin at night. None of my meals are crazy high, so I haven’t needed to supplement with additional meal-time insulin yet. It’s still just the start of the timeframe when my nurse said things would start to change, so I just take it day by day. We have a call next week, so hopefully we just stay at status quo for a few more weeks.

My doula sent me a ton, A TON, of resources for planning for the birth and I’ve been slowly going through those. It makes me so, so thankful that I pulled the rather expensive trigger to hire a doula because I really think it is going to give me the best birth experience. I didn’t know half of the things I’ve been learning, so I’m really thankful to have her.

OK, that was a lot of words about not much. So I’ll just close with a photo of Lulu saying hi to her little sister.

#3BBOnBoard

24 Weeks

      1 Comment on 24 Weeks

I know I’m saying this every week, but these websites with their fruit comparisons are such bullshit.

Last week was a grapefruit, which made complete sense. That seemed about the size and weight they were telling me.

This week is supposed to be a pomegranate. At first I thought “hmmm, maybe I’m thinking pomegranates are bigger than they really are.” 

NOPE.

What to Expect is stupid and apparently doesn’t know what size fruits are before making comparisons.

So instead, we’re going with what I found on other sites, an ear of corn. That makes more sense.

I know it is all arbitrary at this point until she really starts growing, but at least make it something similar in size to the previous week. 

Yes, I am irrationally irritated about this. Ha!

In other news, this week I met with my OB for the first time. It was fine. They apparently didn’t look at my chart and kept telling me I had to take the glucose test (which is typical at 24 weeks). I’m like “no, been there, failed that.” I had to let them know that I was previously across the hall with the midwives and had to move over because I’m on insulin. And then she was like “oh, I’m so sorry.” So then I liked her.

Other than that, the appointment was uneventful. Everything seems to be measuring OK and 3BB’s heartbeat was nice and strong. Because of the diabeetus, I will get some extra ultrasounds and she will have me start coming in weekly starting at 32 weeks to do growth scans and non-stress tests. I was already anticipating that, so no brand new information for me.

She did say she will induce at 39 weeks, if I don’t go any sooner, because of my age and the diabeetus. She told me that they should have the schedule for early February soon, so I can see who is on call and when to schedule around a doctor I’ve seen and liked, so that made me feel better. I’m still going to do everything possible to go into labor naturally so I don’t have to be induced, but that made me feel more at ease.

I also saw the diabeetus nurse that same day. She was very happy with my weight gain, or really lack thereof. I lost about a pound from my 20-week appointment. So I’m under five pounds total weight gain for the pregnancy. I guess there is one good thing about diabeetus.

She said everything looked good with my numbers, so we are just keeping things as they are. She did say I’m entering the most insulin-resistant phase of the pregnancy, so not to be alarmed if things are getting harder to control. Once that happens, she will add in some mealtime insulin, in addition to the night time insulin. But other than that, I’m just plugging away and just really getting tired of cheese. Something I never thought I’d say.

I called my boss yesterday and told her that I’m pregnant. I NEVER call her and she knows how much I hate the phone. In fact, when the whole pandemic started and we were all working from home, she was like “you’ll have to answer when I call”. So when I called her she was like “I knew it had to be big!” She was super excited for me. I figured she would be. She knows a little of my journey in all this, so she knows how long I’ve been trying. So it was nice to stop keeping that secret.

My friend Cindy got me this cute frame from my registry and I finally put in the first and second trimester photos. I can’t believe we’re getting close to meeting 3BB! I’m so excited to meet her! And I can’t wait to see what she looks like!

#3BBOnBoard

23 Weeks

      No Comments on 23 Weeks

I realize that all the fruit and vegetable comparisons to a fetus are stupid and arbitrary, especially when at this point, week to week, 3BB is maybe growing like a centimeter. But they really threw me off with the banana one a few weeks back. I get why they did it, since that was the week we started measuring head to toe, instead of head to butt, but then you just go back to round fruits and it makes no sense.

So that banana week was stupid. I’m going to forget it. This week we’re back to round things, and 3BB is the size of a grapefruit. I think we’re at mostly round things now until the end. 

I actually meant to take a weird photo with a grapefruit by my belly at the grocery store, but then I forgot because I almost punched a lady who wouldn’t move. Like stood her ground and instead of just going around me, made me go around her. And then I said something rude to her as I passed because apparently I think a mask means people can’t hear my loud-ass voice. This is not the case.

That actually got me a bit worried. Because I have been a little quick to anger with stupid people lately. And my depression manifests itself in anger, not sadness. So I’m wondering “is this hormones or do I need to increase my meds?” I’m going with hormones for the time being, since this feels like PMS rage that is very fleeting. Plus then one of my weekly pregnancy newsletters was like “do you just hate everything and want to punch people?” and that made me feel better. Instead of pregnancy weeping, I have pregnancy throat-punching tendencies.

I actually will bring it up with my therapist and keep an eye on it because I know that postpartum is no joke and I want to make sure I’ve set myself up now with the best plan for my mental health.

In non-throat punching news, this week I finally went to the dentist. I’ve finally reached the point where my toothbrush-induced gagging is very minimal, so I figured it was time for a cleaning. I actually went to a new dentist because I hate my old one. And I’m glad I made the change because not only is this new dentist like 4 blocks from my house, they are actually super, super nice. It felt good to leave a dental appointment not in tears or wanting to scream.

I was super worried since there were many, many weeks there that I was just not brushing my back teeth, or just using mouthwash to clean my teeth. So I figured they were going to schedule me for several deep cleaning sessions. But that wasn’t the case. I need to floss more, which I have just started back doing since it doesn’t make me gag, but other than that, my teeth were in good shape. And they were super accommodating with my pregnancy and not doing any X-rays or anything not 100% necessary until after I give birth.

I do have a lovely side effect of a pregnancy tumor in my gum, which is just part of it is swollen. They said it was 100% normal and will go away after I give birth. It’s totally benign. I am glad because I was worried about it.

My other new pregnancy side effect is carpal tunnel in my wrists. It really only gets bad at night, mostly because I bend my hands and curl my fists into a ball when I sleep. So I assume that isn’t helping matters. But then my hand and arms get tingly and it’s just not pleasant. I ordered a wrist brace for sleeping and it should be here today, so I’m hoping that helps matters. I now have a newfound sympathy for people who suffer with this all the time. It’s awful.

Not much to report from Diabeetus Land. Things are mostly under control. I even had some hot chocolate over the weekend, with a string cheese appetizer and chaser, and it didn’t spike me. It made me feel a little bit normal that I could walk around outside enjoying the fall weather with some hot chocolate. 

My fasting number is creeping up, so I’ve had to increase the insulin. I’m assuming by the time I go see the nurse next week, we’ll be talking about splitting up the insulin doses. But whatever works to keep 3BB healthy!

Belly is still continuing to grow. There was a point this week that I walked past the mirror and was shocked. I don’t think it has gotten that huge, but I’m definitely taking full advantage of pregnancy tank tops under my t-shirts. Why aren’t normal tank tops that long? I love long tanks!

3BB is still nice and active. I can feel her kicks and punches from the outside, and actually saw one recently, which is still very, very weird. 

We go back to the doctor next week, and will see the new OB. I hope I like her and everything goes well!

#3BBOnBoard

22 Weeks

      1 Comment on 22 Weeks

22 weeks and the end of the fifth month of pregnancy! Only 4 more months to go!

3BB weighs about a pound and is about 11 inches long. Again all the sites have different fruits and vegetables for this week. One says a red bell pepper, which is not bigger than a banana from last week. Another site says a coconut, which seems a tad too big at this stage. (The other site says coconut at like 32 weeks, so *shrug emoji*.) So I googled it and the one that came up the most was a papaya. So I went with that.

Also that meant it was easier to change out the letterboard because I could leave the letter A’s in the exact same spot as last week.

Last week someone had commented on Instagram and asked if I could feel 3BB move yet. And really, up until that point, I had only felt a few flutters. But then the night that I read that comment, 3BB went nuts and was dancing for a few hours straight at Club Uterus. I didn’t realize that Club Uterus was an all-hours club. But she sure seemed to enjoy herself in there, moving around and dancing from about 1-3 AM. Enjoy all that space while you can, kiddo!

Since then, I’ve been able to feel her move more. I try not to pay too much attention to it because then if I stop feeling her move, I start to worry something is wrong. And then sometimes I just poke at her to get her to move, which NEVER works, so she must still be in there, stubborn as ever. She really likes to party at night when I’m trying to sleep. I see where my life is heading in 18 weeks.

I am waiting for the day when the cats are sitting on my belly and she kicks them. 

The belly is continuing to grow. I bought a few long, maternity tank tops to wear under my t-shirts, so hopefully that will get me through. We found out late last week that we now don’t go back to the office until January, so I’m REALLY excited about that. I’ll be there a few weeks and then PEACE OUT! So I shouldn’t have to buy any work maternity clothes. 

I definitely now feel pregnant. Like it is hard to bend to put on shoes and socks. And while, as a chubby person, I’ve sometimes had that issue before, a belly of fat vs. a solid belly of a human is a lot different. You can’t squish through it.

In Diabeetus News, I have gotten my fasting number seemingly under control. As long as I eat a string cheese and a keto ice cream bar before bed, my numbers are good. I am not complaining about having to eat some ice cream before bed. (I also know that now that I’ve said this out loud, it will no longer work and my fasting number will spike tomorrow morning.)

I am really, really tired of meal planning. Like it’s Thursday, and I am already having to think about what I should plan and cook for the following week. And it feels like I just did that. It’s never ending. And I know that this is just LIFE, but I swear, not having the ability to just eat a frozen pizza or a box of mac and cheese for dinner sometimes is really frustrating. 

I am starting to work on the baby’s room. I bought her dresser and bookshelf from IKEA this week. They were out of stock earlier, so when they went back in stock I snatched them up just in case. I know there have been crazy furniture delays so I didn’t want to wait too long. Plus I think putting together furniture at 22 weeks is going to be much easier than at 35 weeks.

Until then 3BB and I just keep plugging away. I’m not mad at these boring, uneventful weeks. We will have plenty of eventful things coming up in the near future.

#3BBOnBoard

21 Weeks

      1 Comment on 21 Weeks

This week 3BB is measured head to toe! So she’s the size of a banana! 

I added the cat nip banana cat toy. I also had the hardest time spelling banana. It still looks wrong. And yes, you bet your ass I helped myself by singing B-A-N-A-N-A-S.

Last week was so momentous that it feels like a very boring week this week. Not much is going on. I’ve been extra tired this week, but that’s probably just because it’s been kind of dreary here and makes me want to just nap all the time. That is not really due to pregnancy, that’s just my normal state of being.

I had a follow-up call with the diabeetus nurse yesterday. It was just a telehealth call, which was nice since she was running 40 minutes late. When I called to make sure I hadn’t made a mistake and had the wrong date, or missed an email, they told me that the scheduled phone appointment could be anywhere from 15 minutes before the appointment time to up to ONE HOUR after. I’m sorry, what? This has never been mentioned. They mention the 15 minutes early, but never the SIXTY MINUTES after as a possibility. Who blocks off 2 hours for a telehealth call? Not I said the fly.

The odd thing was it was at 10 AM, which seems way too early to get that behind. The appointment was only about 15 minutes long. She said something on the call like “well I know you’re not too shy to send a portal message if you have a question” so that made me think she was way behind because of some person who WAS too shy to send a portal message and their 15 minute follow up turned into 45 minutes.

Who are these people too shy to send a message? Who would rather TALK to a human than message them? I don’t know these kinds of people. Those are aliens to me.

(I should point out that all my doctors and nurses at Northwestern are SO good about responding to messages. I would definitely call and talk to them if they didn’t answer my messages, but they answer same day. My fertility clinic was THE WORST and never answered portal messages, so I do understand calling and talking in that instance.)

I got too cocky last week with my fasting numbers because they got high again. So I’m up to 30 units of insulin each evening. So far, so good. But she’ll only increase me to 40 units total before we start splitting the doses up throughout the day. Apparently anything more than 40 units at a time is hard for the body to process.

She also warned me that shit is about to change. That things I could eat before may now spike my numbers. Because as we go along, the hormones increase and the placenta works harder and the baby gets bigger and needs more. She said “that’s good! That means the baby is growing well and the pregnancy is progressing as it should.” I told her I would try and take her positive attitude, but if I cook something for the week and can only eat two days of it, I’m not going to be so positive about it. 

Because I am already quite tired of cooking and meal planning. I miss being able to eat take out and convenience foods. (Sometimes you just want a Hot Pocket.) I have been able to try a few things, but most of them spike my levels. Or I can’t have too much so I’m not full and what’s the point of only eating one taco? I did have Culver’s over the weekend, a double cheeseburger with just half the bun and a half of a side of cheese curds and my levels were OK. So it’s nice to know there are some things I can eat, if I’m mindful about it. 

All the books and websites talk about how at this point I should be looking really pregnant and not just like I had a big burrito for lunch. I really hate that they say things like this. I’m fine with it, but I’m sure for others, this can make them feel like something is WRONG because their bump isn’t that noticeable. I mean mine looks like I’m just bloated from dinner.

One good thing about the diabeetus is that I’ve only gained about 5 pounds this pregnancy, so that is good. At my weight they don’t want me to gain more than 15 pounds, so this leaves plenty of room to gain as 3BB gets bigger and bigger.

That’s about it for my 21-week TPS report. We’ll be back next week with more riveting tales, I’m sure.

#3BBOnBoard

20 Weeks – Halfway to A Baby

      1 Comment on 20 Weeks – Halfway to A Baby

20 weeks! I made it halfway! Shit is starting to get real!

(I ran out of the white letter B’s this week.)

This week 3BB is the size of a beanie baby. There is more discrepancy with the fruits and vegetables this week, so I’m sticking with a beanie baby. This is also the last week that 3BB is measured crown to butt, so the fruits and veggies will start to get a lot longer because she’ll be measured head to toe. 

(Also I think one of the sites uses endive as an upcoming example and who the fuck knows the size of endive? I do not. This is not pregnancy for Top Chef contestants.)

This week was the big 20-week ultrasound! 3BB was not cooperative. I had an inkling that all her photogenic-ness in the last ultrasounds would come back to bite me in the butt! She made the tech work for every single measurement.

She was face down and curled into a ball with her little legs behind her head. She did not want to cooperate. Every time the tech went to measure something, she decided she wanted to show us her elbows and knees. I will forgive her because she’s just a cute little beanie baby.

The ultrasound took a bit longer than most. Even the technician was like “you’ve got a real stubborn little miss on your hands”. Like mother, like daughter, I guess. She might not have my DNA, but she does not want to be disturbed when she’s sleeping! It has to be on her terms!

We did get to see everything we needed to. She is 100% a girl. Although when the tech was like “here’s her labia” I was like “that looks like a blob”. Almost all of the stuff looked like tiny blobs. How these techs can tell one blob is a bladder and one blob is a kidney is ASTONISHING. I was so impressed. My mom got to see it all too, and she was impressed too! She’s never been to an ultrasound like this! All her kids were born when they took x-rays!

Everything looks good except one of her kidneys is a little dilated. It needs to be 4 and under and it was 4.2. The tech and my midwife were not super concerned. All the parts and plumbing leading to and from the kidneys were measuring fine. So they will bring me back in for an ultrasound at 28 weeks to see how that kidney is doing. I will have a long discussion with her before that one to not be such a hard-headed little girl!

Right at the end she smiled or yawned (probably was laughing to be all “ha ha suckers!”) and she looks like a little dinosaur baby!

This is obviously the photo I framed. 

Here is also a little video of her moving around and waving her foot at us. Sorry for the photo spam, but it’s just so cute and it’s MAH BAYBEE!!

 

I did buy some maternity clothes this week. I realized that even my stretchy pants are creeping under my belly, so I bought some shirts and long tanks. I also bought a few pair of leggings. You all convinced me. 

I also seem to have gotten my fasting numbers under control! I’m up to 24 units of insulin each night and I’ve been in the correct range for the last three mornings. WHEW. Finally!

At my appointment with my midwife (my last one with her until after I give birth because I will 100% be back to see her once I can), she gave me the doctors she recommended. So I officially moved over the the OB office starting with my 24-week appointment. I trust my midwife so I’m sure I’ll like this doctor. So I’m happy about that.

She also was really glad that I hired a doula. She was like “once you move away from a midwife, the care from the doctor when you’re in labor is super limited.” So I’m really glad I decided to hire one.

That’s about it this week! I cannot believe I’m over halfway through this pregnancy. I’m ready to meet 3BB (and be able to eat candy), but also so not ready!

#3BBOnBoard

19 Weeks

      2 Comments on 19 Weeks

I’m back on my letterboard bullshit. This week 3BB is the size of a mango!

I made myself update the letterboard on the day I turned 19 weeks to make it easier. (My weeks start on Saturdays, so usually when you’re reading this, I’m almost to the next week.)

Things are going fine this week. I failed to mention last week that I turned the ripe old age of 44 last week. It kind of snuck up on me, which if you know me has NEVER happened in my entire life. My birthday is my favorite day of the year and usually I’m counting down the days. Maybe that means I’m finally a grown up. 

It also snuck up on me that I was turning 44. Like I knew I was 43 and I know how math and counting works, and even knew I’d be 44 when I gave birth, but somehow saying it out loud really caught me off guard. Like, fuck I’m closer to 50 than I really thought.

It’s finally cooled off here in Chicago and I decided to see if my jeans fit yesterday. That was not the brightest decision. They buttoned, but boy they were super uncomfortable once I had to sit down. I have no shame that I drove around yesterday with my pants unbuttoned to give me some breathing room. I could almost hear 3BB yelling at me to stop squishing her.

Then I noticed in my weekly photo that I have indeed popped out quite a bit this week.

I think maternity clothes are in my future. But I’m really putting it off for as long as possible. It’s such a waste. And it isn’t like I have anywhere to go. I don’t care that I’ll be going to the doctor in only stretchy pants. Half the time I’m going to have to take them off anyway.

I’ve also been interviewing doulas this week. I was on the fence about spending so much money on one, but once I knew I was no longer going to be in the care of my midwife, I just felt more comfortable with the idea with another advocate in the room with me. Plus since I will almost 100% be induced because of my age and the diabeetus, having someone there to help me through labor and hopefully avoid a c-section makes my anxiety about labor go way down.

Because I’m a Virgo and love to plan and know what to expect ahead of time, the whole idea of labor and giving birth is so frustrating to me because there is NO WAY to know. I don’t know how it’s going to go, how it’s going to feel, I can’t prepare AT ALL. (I mean, yes I know I can prepare, but I can’t know EXACTLY what is going to happen and that gives me hives just thinking about it.) I know I can learn as many positions and techniques as possible, but since I’ve never been in labor, I also know that I have no idea how it will be and that I would probably 100% forget all said techniques in the throes of labor. So paying someone to be there to help me makes me feel a lot better and takes a lot of that anxiety away. Plus, and she doesn’t know it, it will also make my mother’s life 1000000% easier because I won’t be screaming at her about labor positions with the handouts I would be likely to print out and make her learn. You’re welcome, mom.

I really liked all the doulas I interviewed, but did like one a lot more than the others. I think all of them would be amazing, but the one woman, she and I just clicked. Plus she’s reasonably priced and will work with me on a payment plan. 

This week I also understood what pregnant women say about nesting. I went hog wild in cleaning out the baby’s room and donating furniture to clean it all out for her and her things. But then the next day I got a migraine, so maybe I went a little overboard.

The insulin shots are going fine. I don’t even feel the needle go in. I still haven’t gotten my fasting number under control yet, so I’m slowly increasing my dosage. I know I’ll get there. But I have really wanted a donut and candy corn. I might need to find a way to sneak one of those in.

Next week is the halfway mark! I have my 20-week appointment and ultrasound with my midwife on Tuesday. I’m really excited to get a good look at 3BB. And my mom is able to come to this appointment too, so I’m excited to share it with her too. And give my midwife a proper goodbye. Sad face.

I can’t believe I’m already halfway done!

#3BBOnBoard